Sindhis

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Sindhis

PRONUNCIATION : SIN-deez
LOCATION : Pakistan (Sind province)
POPULATION : 35 million (estimate)
LANGUAGE : Sindhi
RELIGION : Islam (majority Sunnī Muslim)

INTRODUCTION

Sindhis are inhabitants of Sind (or Sindh), the region of arid plains and deserts located along the lower course of the Indus River as it flows on its journey from the Himalayas to the Arabian Sea. Both the terms Sindhi and Sind are derived from "Sindhu," the ancient name of the Indus. Modern Sindhis are descendants of the many peoples who have settled in the area from earliest times.

The Indus is central to the history of the Sindhis. It was along this river that the Harappan (or Indus Valley) civilization developed during the 3rd millennium bc. Usually identified with Dravidian peoples, this sophisticated urban culture matched the achievements of Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. The Harappans left an archeological record of contemporary life in Sind, but we know less of the centuries following their decline. From around 1700 bc onward, successive waves of Aryan invaders entered the Indian subcontinent from the northwest. The earliest of these nomadic tribes settled in the Punjab, where the outlines of Hindu Vedic religion and society emerged. This was quite different from urban Harappan culture. It was nonurban, based on the herding of cattle; its religion was dominated by male deities and sacrificial ritual; and its society was organized into a hierarchy of classes (castes), with the Aryans at the top and local non-Aryan peoples at the lowest levels. As the Aryans pressed steadily southward along the Indus Valley, their culture replaced that of the Harap-pans. The Harappan towns and cities disappeared, with Aryan (Hindu) civilization emerging as the dominant culture of Sind. Subsequently, groups such as the Persians, Greeks, Scythians, and White Huns who entered the region were absorbed into the existing structure of the Aryan-dominated society. During the 3rd and 2nd centuries bc, Sind formed part of the Mauryan Empire. At this time, Buddhism was the main religion in the region, though it was subsequently reabsorbed by Hinduism.

Arabs reached the mouth of the Indus by sea in ad 711 and within a few years gained control of Sind. From this time on, the region was dominated by Muslims and the culture of Islam. Around ad 900, the Arab governors of Sind—at first subject to the Caliph in Baghdad—established their own dynastic rule. Of mixed Arab and local blood, Sumra and Samma chieftains governed for several centuries, eventually being replaced by invaders from Afghanistan between 1518 and 1522. By the end of the 16th century, Sind was annexed by the Mughals. It remained part of the Mughal Empire until the mid-18th century. Sind was conquered by the British in 1843. (The British General, Sir Charles Napier, in charge of the operation, garnered a degree of notoriety when, after his successful campaign, he sent his superiors the one word dispatch "Peccavi," which is Latin for "I have sinned.")

Sind formed part of the Bombay Presidency of British India until 1937, when it was made a separate province. Following Pakistan's independence, Sind was integrated into West Pakistan in 1955. In 1970 Sind was reestablished as a province of Pakistan.

LOCATION AND HOMELAND

Sind lies in southern Pakistan. It shares a common boundary with the Republic of India on the east. The Pakistani province of Baluchistan lies to the west and north, while the Punjab is located to the northeast. Sind covers an area of 140,913 sq km (54,407 sq mi), which is slightly larger than New York State. Geographically, Sind falls into three distinct regions. In the west lies the Kirthar Range, a steep wall of mountains rising from 1,220 m (4,000 ft) in the south to nearly 2,400 m (approximately 8,000 ft) in the north. This forms a sharp line of separation between the rugged hills of Baluchistan and the fertile Indus plains. The Indus River flows in a southwesterly direction through the heart of Sind. It is here that agriculture and population, as well as Sind's major cities, are concentrated. To the east of the Indus plains, Sind extends into the Th ar or Great Indian Desert.

The climate of Sind is subject to extremes. The mean maximum June temperature in Jacobabad in northern Sind is 45.5°C (114°F). Jacobabad has also recorded the highest temperature in the subcontinent, at 53°C (127°F). Temperatures drop to 2°C (36°F) in winter and fall below freezing at higher elevations. Annual rainfall averages less than 20 cm (approximately 8 in) and in some areas falls below 10 cm (4 in). This extreme aridity is reflected in the natural vegetation, which consists mainly of thorn scrub, acacias, and tamarisk.

Population statistics for Sind are notoriously inaccurate. In 1998 Pakistani government sources placed the population of Sind Province at 30,439,893, which, given natural increase since the beginning of the 2000s, led to 35 million as an estimate of the population of Sind by 2008. With several millions of Sindhis living in India and elsewhere (Hong Kong, Singapore, the United States, etc.), the world-wide population of Sindhis is estimated to be over 40 million. Although unified by religion and language, this population reflects the diversity of Sind's past in its ethnic composition. Many Sindhis are descended from Rājput and Jat groups of western India and are known as Samma Sindhis (descendants of Yadavs) and Sumra Sindhis (descendants of Parwar Rājputs). The Bhutto tribe, which gave Pakistan two prime ministers (Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and more recently his daughter, Benazir), are Sumras. Other Rājput and Jat groups are more recent converts to Islam. Some Sindhis, such as the Sayyids and Pathans, trace their ancestry back to Muslim invaders of the past. The Mallahs are fishing peoples settled along the river and in the delta region. The Talpurs, former rulers of Sind, are Baluchs from Baluchistan. However, they now speak Sindhi as a mother tongue and have been assimilated into Sindhi society.

Most Sindhis are Muslim, but before the creation of India and Pakistan some 20% of the Sindhi population was Hindu. In 1947, when the successor states to British India gained their independence, there was a mass exodus of Hindu Sindhis to India. Sindhi communities in India are concentrated in Delhi and the states of Gujarat, Rājasthān, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh. At the same time, many Muslims in India fled their homeland and settled in Sind. Known as muhājirs, these immigrants and their descendants are culturally quite distinct from the Sindhis.

LANGUAGE

The peoples of Sind speak the language known as Sindhi. It is an Indo-Aryan tongue but has a large number of Persian and Arabic words, reflecting centuries of Muslim influence in the region. Vicholi is the standard dialect of Sindhi, while Siraiki, Thareli, and Lari are other local forms of the language. Kachchi, a dialect of Sindhi, is spoken in neighboring areas of India (the Rann of Kutch, and the Kathiawar Peninsula). The Sindhi script is similar to that used for Urdu, yet different enough not to be read easily by a person who has learned Urdu. The script is Perso-Arabic in origin, even though Sindhi is an Indo-Aryan language. Hindus use a form of the Devanagari script for writing Sindhi. Some 2.5 million Sindhi-speakers lived in India as of 2008.

Perhaps the language closest to the original Prakit and Sanskrit of all the tongues of north India, Sindhi has a literary tradition that extends back to the 11th century. The earliest Sindhi works were poetry showing both Islamic and Hindu influences, though later epics emerged as important. Perhaps the best known Sindhi poet, Shah Abdul Letif (1690-1773) emerged during the early 18th century, while modern Sindhi literature consists of works of both poetry (dominated by the giant figure of Shaikh Ayaz [1923-1997]) and prose.

FOLKLORE

Sind has a rich and varied folklore. One folk tale addresses the relations between Hindus and Muslims in the region. In the 10th century ad, so the story goes, a Muslim ruler in Sind began forcibly converting Hindus to Islam. The Hindus panicked and prayed to Darya Shah (Varuna, god of the Indus) to protect them. The answer to their prayers was Uderolal who, riding a horse and with a sword in his hand, struck terror into the hearts of the Muslims. He told people that there was only one god—Allah or Ishwar—and that both Muslims and Hindus should worship that one god. The Muslim ruler was suitably chastened and stopped his forcible conversions to Islam. Uderolal is identified with Zindapir (Sindhu Pīr), who disappeared into the river Sindhu along with his horse and sword. Th is water deity is worshiped by both Muslims and Hindus, who depend on the waters of the Indus for their livelihood.

RELIGION

Over 93% of the population of Sind is Muslim, mostly belonging to the orthodox Sunnī sect. As such, their religious practices and social customs follow the dictates of Islam as set out in the Quran (Koran) and summarized in the Five Pillars of Islam. Their modes of worship, religious festivals, rites of passage, family law and customs, and food taboos reveal the importance of Islam in Sindhi culture.

The worship of Muslim saints (pirs) is one aspect of Sindhi religion that deviates from orthodox Islam. Historically, the region has been extremely receptive to the Sūfī movement, and one of the most revered saints of Sind today is Lal Shabhaz Qalander, a 13th-century Sūfī. Saint worship and its attendant rituals reflect Hindu influences in Sind, and indeed in the past—especially at the level of folk religion—there was a great deal of mixing of Muslim and Hindu religious practices. It is not unusual for Muslims and Hindus to venerate the same saint. The patron saint of the Indus River, for example, is revered by Muslims as Khwajah Khidr, or Sheikh Tahir, and by Hindus, as Darya Shah, or Uderolal.

MAJOR HOLIDAYS

As orthodox Sunnis, Sindhis celebrate all the major Muslim festivals (e.g., Muharram, Ramadan, Id ul-Fitr, Id ul-Adha). However, festivals of particular importance in Sind are the death-anniversaries (Urs) of three local saints. Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, who is said to have died in ad 1345, is buried in the village of Sehwan, near Lake Manochar in central Sind. People from all over the country attend his Urs, which is an occasion for the gathering of musicians, qawwālī -singers, and dancers. The melā held to observe this Urs is, in effect, a festival of Sindhi culture, folk music, and dance. The Urs of Shah Abdul Latif, a mystic poet born in ad 1689, and Sachal Sarmast, an 18th-century poet, are also major festivals celebrated by Sindhis.

RITES OF PASSAGE

Three ceremonies are associated with birth in Sindhi life: naming, head-shaving, and circumcision. Naming takes place soon after birth, immediately after the father or an elderly male relation has whispered the Call to Prayer into the baby's ear. The head-shaving ceremony is held in the first few weeks after birth. Goats are sacrificed (one for a girl and two for a boy), and the meat is cooked and given to relatives. The goats' bones are buried with the infant's hair. Circumcision (sunnat) usually takes place in early boyhood. The boy is garlanded and taken around the town in procession before the circumcision is performed by a barber at the family home. When the boy has recovered, a celebration is held for family and friends.

When a death is about to occur, relatives gather to participate in the death rituals. Passages from the Koran are read, the Muslim creed is repeated, and prayers are offered for the dying person. After death, the body is washed, the big toes are tied together, and the corpse is wrapped in a shroud in preparation for burial. The body is carried to the cemetery on a bier by close relatives. At the graveside the mourners, led by a maulvī (religious teacher), pray for the departed soul. The body is placed in the grave on its side with the face towards Mecca. Prayers for the dead, followed by a feast, are held on the third and tenth days after the death. The mourning ritual is completed with a feast for all relatives on the 40th day after the death.

INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS

Sindhis follow forms of greeting ("Salaam," "Salaam alaikum") used by Muslims throughout the Islamic world. Many, however, still use the Hindu "Namaste," echoing the former presence of a large Hindu population in the region. No visitors are allowed to enter a Sindhi home without the consent of the head of the family. A special room or building called an otak, which is often outside the walls of the house compound, is the center of Sindhi men's social life. Inside the otak, friends join together to pass the time chatting, discussing politics, drinking refreshments, playing cards, and in modern times listening to the radio or watching television.

LIVING CONDITIONS

Architecture in Sind has a pronounced Arab flavor. Villages consist of clusters of houses, surrounded by compounds, and walled for privacy. Wooden gates often shut off the compound from the outside world. Houses themselves are generally built of unbaked mud bricks, roofed with straw or bamboo. Poor people have a single room for eating and sleeping, and their houses are sparsely furnished. The houses of the landowners are more elaborate and may be built of brick and have tiled roofs. They have several rooms, with a cookhouse and a latrine in the compound (the poor go into the fields to perform their bodily functions). The otak of the wealthy are furnished with carpets, overhead fans that are swung by servants, tables, and chairs.

FAMILY LIFE

Sindhi society is predominantly Muslim. However, it shows the influence of its Hindu past in its organization into zāts. Th ese are hereditary, occupational groupings (e.g., cultivators, blacksmiths, weavers, barbers) that function very much like Hindu castes. Zāts are further subdivided into birādarīs, groups of individuals within the zāt who can trace their lineage on the male side to a common ancestor. The biradari is an important social unit within the village.

The family is the basic unit in Sindhi society. It is organized along the lines of the patriarchal joint family. The male head of the family is the dominant authority, responsible for the family's affairs. His wife or wives, as Sindhis may have more than one, run the household. The wives of sons reside in the household, while daughters live with their husband's family after marriage. Marriages among Sindhis are arranged, with partners sought from within one's zāt or biradari. The ideal marriage is between first cousins (i.e., a male marries his father's brother's daughter). If a suitable bride is not available, a male can marry outside his clan, even into a zāt that is socially inferior to his. However, no father would allow his daughter to "marry down" into a zāt of lower social standing. Betrothal of infants was common in the past, although this is no longer practiced. The marriage ceremony (nikāh) is preceded by several days of festivities. The groom and his party travel to the bride's house in an elaborately decorated transport (car, donkey, or camel). The actual ceremony involves each partner being asked three times if he or she will have the other in marriage. The marriage settlements are agreed to and witnessed, and the ceremony is completed by readings from the Koran by a maulvī. (Hindus in Sind perform their marriage ceremonies according to the Vedic rites.) Divorce is permitted by Muslim law.

The custom of purdah is strictly observed by landowners and other groups who claim high social standing. Sindhi women are secluded behind the clay walls of the house and compound. If they leave the house, they go veiled or covered from head to toe in a cloak so that they are not exposed to the sight of men. In some rural areas, women are followed by a small boy ringing a hand bell and calling "Pass!" Men hearing the signal turn toward a wall until the party has hurried past. By contrast, purdah is ignored by many in urban areas.

CLOTHING

The original dress of the Sindhi male is the dhotī, a type of coat (jāmā), and a turban. A round, embroidered cap, cut away in the front, is commonly worn by Sindhi men. As with many societies in South Asia, different communities within Sind have developed their own distinctive style of dress. Th us, Amils have adopted flowing pyjamas, high-topped caps, and leather slippers with their toes curled up. They follow the custom of tying a kamarband (i.e., cummerbund) around the waist. Muslim influence can be seen in the salwar (loose baggy trousers) and serwānī (a long, tunic-like coat). Hindu communities have their own styles of dress. Traders and businessmen, for example, favor the Marwari-style turban of Rājasthān.

Traditional dress for older Sindhi women consists of a white cotton tunic and a thick white or red skirt that reaches the ground. The head is covered with a thin muslin scarf that is larger than the modern dupattā. Slippers complete the ensemble. Sometimes, a white sheet (chāddar) is worn covering the entire body, with only a small peep hole (ākhirī) left open so that the wearer can see. Younger women wear the salwārkurtā, or the sūthan, a pyjama-type outfit, along with slippers and the scarf. Mirrorwork on the kurtā is typical of Sind. Ornaments include ivory bracelets and bangles, silver anklets, and gold earrings and nose rings.

Sindhis, especially in urban areas, have abandoned traditional dress in favor of modern styles. Men wear Western-style jackets and pants, or the popular safari suit. The sārī, or salwār-kurtā, is the dress of choice for women. Young women, especially in the cosmopolitan city of Karachi, are very style-conscious and adopt the latest fashions.

FOOD

Sindhi food is typical of Pakistani Muslim cuisine, with distinctive Sindhi regional touches. Thus, wheat made into flat unleavened bread called chapātīs, or rotī, is the staple food for most of the population. It is eaten with spiced pulses (dāl), vegetable dishes (sabzī), and yogurt (dahī). Few poorer Sindhis can afford meat, except on special occasions. Lamb, goat, and chicken are eaten, though no Muslim Sindhi will eat pork. Fish is eaten by Sindhi communities who live along the Indus River or near the coast (Karachi is famous for its seafood). Sweetened tea, buttermilk, or lassi, a drink made from yogurt, rounds out the meal. Sindhis also prepare Mughal-style dishes such as tandoorī lamb or chicken, biryānī (lamb or chicken cooked with rice), and rice pilaf.

EDUCATION

Though Sindhi literacy (56%) is higher than the Pakistani average (50% for Pakistanis over 15 years of age), Sindhis still face problems in education typical of the country as a whole. In rural areas, children must work in the fields, the school drop-out rate is high, and there is a Muslim antipathy to education for females. Literacy among males in rural areas is 39% but among women it is only 13%. However, urban males have the highest literacy in the country, with that in Karachi being over 90%, and reaching 100% amongst communities, such as the Parsis. Among the elite, education—even of daughters—is seen as a matter of prestige and a means of political power. For example, Pakistan's former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, was educated at Harvard and Oxford. Sind University, located in Hyderabad, and Karachi University are the major academic centers in the province.

CULTURAL HERITAGE

Important sites, such as Mohenjo-Daro, Amri, and Kot Diji, have left a record of the achievements of the ancient Harappan civilization in the areas of city-planning and building, economic production, social organization, and religion. It is generally held that there is little direct continuity of cultural tradition between the Harappans and modern-day society. However, some writers trace elements of modern Sindhi folk culture to Harappan times. They argue, for example, that the bullock carts used by farmers along the Indus today, or the pipes played by Sindhi shepherds, differ little from those used by the Harappans, as revealed by the archeological record.

Sindhis have a rich tradition of folk literature and mystical Sūfī poetry dating to the 14th century ad or even earlier. The legend of Dodo Chanesar, for example, an early Sindhi folk tale, is thought to date to the time of the Sumras. The most famous Sindhi poet, however, is Shah Abdul Latif, whose work, Shāh Jo Risālo, is known and recited throughout Sind. Sachal Sarmast (ad 1739-1829) is another eminent Sūfī in the Sindhi literary tradition. In addition to poetry, Sindhi folk culture embraces music, using instruments, such as the sahnāī (a wind instrument), dances, songs, and riddles.

WORK

Traditionally, Sind lacked the pan-Indian four-tiered caste system (Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Sudra). Brahmans, who elsewhere in the Indian subcontinent enjoyed high ritual status, were numerically insignificant. They were neither learned nor affluent, functioning only as priests to the Hindu trading castes. There was no question of royal patronage as the region was under Muslim rule. Since no Sindhi Hindus formed part of the nobility or army, Kshatriyas were notably absent from the region, as were Sudras, the castes who were tillers of the soil (these were mainly Muslims) or the service castes. The main Hindu communities in Sind were, thus, of the trading caste—e.g. the Lohanas, Bhatias, Khatris, Chhaprus and Sahtas—and social hierarchies among these groups were primarily based on wealth. This social structure was unique to Sind, and regional identity became more pronounced than caste identity.

Around 70% of Sindhis, the majority of these being Muslims, derive their living from cultivation. Given the meager rainfall totals in the region, agriculture is dependent almost entirely on irrigation. The principal source of water is the Indus River, on which there are three major irrigation dams (called "barrages") in Sind. They are the Ghuddu and Sukkur Barrages in the north, and the Kotri Barrage in the south near Hyderabad. The major crops grown include wheat, millet, maize, rice, cotton, and oilseeds. Fruits, such as mangoes, dates, and bananas, are also cultivated. Away from the Indus Valley, herding sheep, goats, and camels has become the dominant economic activity. Fishing is important along the Indus River and the Arabian Sea coast, where prawns, shrimp, pomfret, shad, and catfish are caught.

Although Sind is essentially a rural province, the provincial capital, Karachi, is Pakistan's largest city, with a population of over 13 million inhabitants. Karachi is Pakistan's leading commercial and industrial center, giving Sind an important role in the country's economy. Industrial plants include cotton mills, sugar refineries, cement factories, steel mills, and automobile manufacturers.

SPORTS

Sindhi children play local variations of games, such as hop-scotch, marbles, and tag. Wrestling is a popular spectator sport in villages, while men indulge in traditional pastimes, such as cock-fighting, pigeon-racing, and camel-racing. Sindhis also play modern games, such as cricket, field hockey, tennis, and squash.

ENTERTAINMENT AND RECREATION

Sindhis enjoy watching television or videos, seeing movies, playing cards, and socializing at cocktail parties. Such pastimes are, of course, more common among the Westernized Sindhis living in urban areas. Life is more restricted in the traditional village context.

FOLK ARTS, CRAFTS, AND HOBBIES

Sind is particularly noted for its textiles, embroidery, pottery, and lacquered woodwork. Mirrorwork, the sewing of tiny pieces of mirror onto cloth, is typically Sindhi and decorates the brightly colored clothes of many Sindhi women. Blue-glazed tiles from Sind decorate mosques and shrines all over the country.

SOCIAL PROBLEMS

Sindhis face many of the problems suffered by all rural, agricultural populations in developing countries. Population pressure, poverty, lack of education, and rural indebtedness contribute to low standards of living for the mass of the people. Migration of the rural poor to the cities has created huge squatter populations in Karachi and other towns, as well as an inadequate agricultural labor force in rural areas.

The most serious problems, however, relate to ethnic conflict in Sind and the volatility of Pakistan's politics. Sind's political fortunes have been closely linked to those of the Bhutto family. Sindhis have long resented the concentration of political power in the hands of Punjabis, along with perceived threats to Sindhi cultural identity. Attempts to replace the Sindhi language in schools with Urdu, and the national government's policy of Islamization, have both been strongly resisted. Conflict between Sindhis and Urdu-speaking muhājirs, who comprise an estimated 25% of Sind's population (and 70% of Karachi's population), has led to violence and many deaths. Murders, kidnappings, drug gangs, sectarian violence, and ethnic conflict are commonplace in Karachi, where even Pakistan's security forces have been unable to restore law and order.

Access to adequate supplies of water, both for drinking and irrigation, remains a major problem in Sind. The area is essentially desert, with precipitation averaging less than 8 inches a year, and the major source of water is the Indus River. However, the Punjabis seem to control most of the Indus water, and lack of water has provoked hundreds of angry demonstrations in Sind, with farmers and politicians alike charging that "water robbery" has been committed by Punjab Province. Even the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), created by Pakistan after the 1960 Indus Basin Waters Treaty was signed with India, appears to be violating the 1945 Sind-Punjab agreement on water sharing, with total disregard for the lower riparian rights of Sindh. Virtually all of the crops grown in Sind (rice, cotton and cereals) depend on irrigation, and when water is not available, they are lost.

In addition to these economic losses, the reduced flows that characterize the River Indus as a result of water withdrawals in its Upper Basin, has resulted in severe water pollution. The river receives raw sewage from about 40 cities and hundreds of small towns and villages, untreated industrial wastewater from hundreds of industrial facilities, and irrigation returns from the millions of acres of agricultural lands spread along the riverbanks. Although it is attempting to reduce use because of health hazards, Pakistan still uses around 25,000 tons of chemical nutrients and pesticides in a year. With population growth and reduced water flows, Indus pollution is worsening. Levels of oxygen depleting organic contaminants from sewage, toxic compounds from industrial discharges, and pesticides and chemical nutrients from irrigation returns are increasing. Water borne diseases are on the rise. Many fish and other aquatic species have declined in number and diversity. If the situation is not reversed further water degradation will continue to occur, and its impact on aquatic life, public health, and other uses of water will be very significant.

The lakes and wetlands of Sind are being degraded at an alarming rate. The lakes in Sind are an important source of drinking water, recreation, fish, edible vegetables that grow in them, and employment for many people. With the lower Indus basin receiving reduced flows, the lakes and wetlands of the Sind are losing their inflow and slowly becoming polluted, and smaller ones are even drying out. Manochar, for instance, the largest lake in Sind is a source of drinking water and irrigation, but has become a dumping ground for discharge from salinity outfalls originating in Punjab and Baluchistan. Millions of people have been affected and thousands of Manochar fishermen have migrated to other areas of Pakistan. Furthermore, salt water intrusion into the plains of lower Sind is directly related to the decrease of flow in the Indus River. Salt-water intrusion has been witnessed inland up to 100 kilometers (over 60 mi) north of the sea.

In 2008, a breach appeared in the Rohri Canal at Tehsil, New Saeedabad, District Matiari, Sind Province, resulting in heavy losses to local peasants, including damage to standing crops, houses, roads, bridges, water courses, and embankments. The breaches inundated many villages nearby and caused extensive damage to houses in the vicinity. The floods affected 90% of the population of 50 villages involving over 19,000 persons. Over 300 houses were destroyed completely, and over 2,000 hectares (c. 5,000 acres) of cultivated land were inundated. The crops lost included both commercial and food staples, including rice. This was the third time in ten years that breaches occurred in this area, and the ministry of irrigation, which is responsible for checking the stability of the canal embankments on a regular basis, was tardy in providing assistance to the affected people. June 2007 saw torrential rains and flooding in Sind Province as it was hit by cyclone "Yemyin." The latter left vast areas of the region flooded with several hundreds dead and missing and substantial collateral damage to houses, livestock, and crops. Such natural disasters are not unique. In January 2001, when Gujarat—to the east—was hit by a devastating earthquake, Sind also experienced some deaths and significant damage to buildings.

On the political scene, Sindhis are outnumbered by Punjabis, who are seen as dominating the politics of Pakistan. However, Benazir Bhutto, a former Prime Minister of Pakistan, was a Sindhi and her Pakistan People's Party (PPP) was widely expected to win the 2008 elections outright. However, Bhutto was assassinated on 27 December 2007 and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, replaced her as leader of the PPP. The elections in Pakistan were postponed for a month as a result of the assassination and the PPP emerged as the leader of an anti-Musharraf coalition. The PPP won a majority of seats in the National Assembly, though not enough to form the government by itself. However, the PPP, in association with Nawaz Sharif's Muslim League (N), formed the Pakistani government, with Yousaf Raza Gilani (Gilani was born in Karachi and thus is a Sindhi), a loyalist of slain leader Benazir Bhutto, as the nation's new prime minister.

GENDER ISSUES

Sindhī women live in either Hindu or Muslim societies, both of which are patrilineal in nature. As a consequence, they are generally prohibited by law from inheriting property and see their role in society as wife and home-maker, subservient to the wishes of their children, husbands, and in-laws. Marriages are typically arranged, according to local customs, and—even though it is illegal in India (Pakistan has no legal proscriptions against the practice)—dowry is usually given. Bride burnings are commonly reported in both India and Pakistan, and the press occasionally reports "honor" killings in Sind. In 1998 the adult sex ratio (i.e. among people over 6 years of age) in Sind was 891:1000, indicating the importance of males in Sindhi society. The low number of females is explained largely by sex selective abortion and neglect of young girl children.

Even though Sindhī women have emigrated to other parts of the world where they may be involved in business, Sindhī attitudes towards the role of women in society are mirrored in a marked lack of ambition.

Poverty, illiteracy, lack of education, and cultural attitudes are the greatest problems faced by women in Sind.